Archive for Family
Job Opening: National Program Coordinator (COLAGE)
National Program Coordinator!
Type of position: Regular, full time, exempt
Hours: 35 hours/week
Location: to be determined
Supervisor: Barbara Green, Interim Executive Director
About COLAGE: Founded in 1990, COLAGE is a national movement of children, youth and adults with one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer parent(s). We build community and work toward social justice through youth empowerment, leadership development, education and advocacy.
Position Overview
The Program Coordinator serves an essential role in providing leadership, strategic direction, management, coordination, development, execution and evaluation of the organization’s programs and chapters. This position also builds and maintains collaborative relationships and partnerships with other local, statewide, and national organizations, with the goal of enabling as many people with LGBTQ parents as possible to connect with each other and advocate for what matters most to people with LGBTQ parents.
The Program Coordinator reports directly to the Executive Director and supervises volunteers and interns. This position includes some travel and is a full-time (35 hours per week) exempt position. One of the primary tasks for this position in the first year will be to develop and implement a plan to more effectively support chapter development.
Key Responsibilities
- Contribute to ongoing strategic planning and organization development, continuously striving to implement best practices in program delivery and organizational systems, messaging, and positioning.
- Manage and monitor departmental planning & budgeting; manage volunteers, interns and fellows as they are brought into the organization; and contribute to fundraising strategies
- Increase the number of chapters and provide ongoing support to chapter leaders
- Develop and ensure the continued functioning and improvement of evaluation tools and instruments that measure the impact of COLAGE programs on constituents.
- Oversee planning and implementation of Family Week inProvincetown,MA
- Serve as a primary media contact and representative, provide leadership in organizational messaging about people with LGBTQ parents, train and prepare spokespeople for interviews
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- Grow membership and leadership of COLAGErs of color and other historically oppressed groups and underrepresented constituents
- Supervise production of print and electronic program materials and advertising.
- Cultivate strategic partnerships and relationships with relevant agencies and ally organizations by participating in national, state, and regional coalitions that are directly related to COLAGE’s mission (Ex. National Safe Schools Roundtable)
- Represent the organization at national or regional conferences, events, forums. Develop and present COLAGE workshops for a diverse array of audiences
- Other duties as assigned
Skills & Qualifications
- Enthusiasm for COLAGE’s mission and programs with demonstrated commitment to social, racial and economic justice issues;
- Significant knowledge, passion and/or experience with people with LGBTQ parents and/or LGBTQ families;
- At least 5 years experience with program development, management, and evaluation;
- At least 3 years experience and comfort with direct supervision of volunteers including hiring, training and evaluation;
- Experience planning and implementing complex, multi-faceted events
- Experience organizing grassroots advocacy campaigns
- Demonstrated experience working with chapter or affiliate systems and/or other volunteer-run initiatives;
- Experience pitching stories and earning media; comfort working with media outlets and acting as a media spokesperson;
- Outstanding interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated success cultivating relationships with a variety of people; must have commitment to and experience working with diverse communities as well as diversifying organizations and building anti-racist and multicultural alliances;
- Group leadership skills and proven expertise in facilitation of activities and trainings for youth;
- Excellent oral, writing, research, listening, and organizational skills;
- Demonstrated ability to juggle numerous details and multiple tasks;
- Excellent computer literacy in word processing, wordpress, data entry & manipulation (Sales Force), mail merges and desktop publishing;
- Ability to work independently and from home.
Compensation
$40,00-$45,000 DOE plus benefits including holiday, sick and vacation pay and health insurance.
To Apply: submit resume and cover letter to colage@colage.org by Friday, Sept. 21, 2012.
Minnesota Gays and Lesbians: Time to Take Your Family Back
In She Said, She Said #88, Genia and Andrea discuss how the religious right and hate groups have used divide and conquer to take families away from gays and lesbians. It’s time for Minnesota gays and lesbians (and the LGBTQ community everywhere) to stand up and fight back. To defeat the Minnesota same-sex marriage amendment up for vote on the 2012 ballot, gays and lesbians need to have a conversation with their family members and ask them, “Do you really want to make me less equal than other people in the family?”
Decision Day in Hawaii
Today could mark a significant milestone for civil rights in our country.
By the end of the day, a bill that allows both same-sex and heterosexual couples to receive the same protections under law as married couples (HB 444) will be
A. Signed into law by Governor Linda Lingle,
B. Vetoed by Governor Lingle, or
C. Allowed to become law automatically, without any action by the Governor.
July 6 is the deadline for Governor Lingle to take action on a list of bills she designated in June as ripe for veto. The civil unions bill was on that list.
We helped collect some of the thousands of citizen petitions supporting HB 444, and we were pleased to add them to the voices of local citizens, the business community, and other equal rights supporters from all over the country demanding this important step towards equality.
If this civil unions bill becomes law, seven states and the District of Columbia would either grant full civil marriage equality or recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. Another eight states – including Hawaii – would allow same-sex couples to form civil unions or domestic partnerships.
So after today, nearly 108 million Americans could live in states where same-sex couples enjoy legal status and at least some or all of the protections enjoyed by other married couples.
Governor Lingle’s signature on HB 444 – or even her failure to veto it – would be only the most recent example of states outpacing the federal government and forging ahead in the path towards equal rights.
But we’ve seen this before, and that’s what gives us hope. State-based health care reforms led to national health care reform, and state-based clean energy laws are adding momentum for national climate action.
That means the harder states push for equal rights – and more state-level momentum we build – the closer we get to equality for everyone.
One day, America will look back on the fight for equal rights and wonder why it was so difficult. When that day comes, we’ll have the states to thank.
Bob Witeck Discusses Census 2010 and the LGBTQ Community
Bob Witeck joins us on SistersTalk Radio to discuss the US Census and why it’s important for members of the LGBTQ community to be counted in Census 2010.
Bob is the CEO and co-founder of Witeck-Combs Communications. He has more than 30 years professional communications experience in the private sector and in public service. Bob frequently serves as senior counselor and strategist as well as specialist in crisis communications for many of the firm’s clients.
Before co-founding Witeck-Combs Communications in 1993, he was senior vice president for Hill & Knowlton Public Affairs, a global public relations and public affairs firm. On Capitol Hill for over a decade, Witeck also served as communications director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and as a Senate press secretary and legislative assistant. He is a graduate with distinction of the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar.
In 2006 Bob Witeck and Wes Combs co-authored Business Inside Out (Kaplan Publishing), considered the first-ever book on marketing insights, practical tips and strategies targeting the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender market.
Lesbian Author Andrea Askowitz on SistersTalk Radio
Author Andrea Askowitz joined us on SistersTalk Radio to discuss her book ‘My Miserable, Lonely, Lesbian Pregnancy.’
How to Stop Hating Your Ex
René Ashton is the author of How to Stop Hating Your Ex: So You Can Co-Parent in Peace. René is also an actress who has appeared in more than 70 commercials and two dozen television shows like Nip/Tuck, CSI, 7th Heaven and Dexter.
René joined us to discuss her book and provide valuable advice for all those parents out there who haven’t quite figured out how to play nice with their ex and put their children first.
Listen to the interview here.
Subscribe to SistersTalk Radio on iTunes here.
Lesbian Web Series ‘Anyone But Me’ Executive Producers on SistersTalk Radio
Lesbian web series ‘Anyone But Me’ explores the life of 16 year old lesbian, Vivian McMillan. When Vivian has to move from New York City to the suburbs, her relationships, past and present, are tested. And her identity goes through seismic changes.
This moving, funny, and relevant new drama speaks to all ages and hearts as it follows the journey of six teenagers and the adults who try to understand them.
Executive Producers Susan Miller and Tina Cesa Ward joined us on SistersTalk Radio to discuss the series.
Featured indie musician: Nicky Click
